Well, if you brought a Bible this morning, I’m going to invite you to go ahead and open up to the Book of Jude. Having trouble finding that it’s because it’s like 25 verses in one chapter. And the easiest way to find it is go to the Book of Revelation. And right before the Book of Revelation, you’ll find the Book of Jude. And that’s where we’re going to be here this morning as as you turn there, let me let me just begin this morning by, uh. Opening up, setting the background with where we’re going to be together. We tend to live in a culture that puts values on actions over beliefs that come from the heart. What you do becomes more important than the beliefs that drive the actions. Um, and I would like to just throw some thought towards that this morning. And I would say this what you believe is as important as the sincerity of the belief that you carry towards that belief. The truth is, you may sincerely believe something, but you could be sincerely wrong in that belief. This was as important as it is to have sincerity in the belief that you carry. The very belief that you hold is of equal value to the sincerity through which you hold it. Truth is, God and knowing him should be important to us. I would say to us this morning that God isn’t fully known by anyone. But God desires to be personally known by everyone.
And God has revealed himself to us in several ways. Bible describes God in two platforms, and knowing he doesn’t fully, we can’t fully conceive him, but he desires for us to personally know him. And that’s to say that that God is both transcendent and immanent, meaning God is both distant and near. An understanding God accurately the way that God has revealed himself to you. Is precious to your growth and relationship with him. Left to a belief that is erroneous to the identity of who God is. In light of who you are, will ultimately rob you of truth and will lead to the robbing of joy. The deception of lies tricks us into a religion that leaves us hopeless and empty, wanting more for our lives. But the Bible gives the opposite indication of understanding Jesus that Jesus has come. It tells us in Galatians to set you free. Jesus tells us in the book of Matthew, his yoke is easy and his burden is light, and the book of John, that his joy may be in you as you are in him. Jesus, and speaking with the woman at the well, outlined it very plainly for us when he said in the book of in the excuse me in the book of John in chapter four. There it is in verse 24. You’re going to have to click for me here. God is spirit and his worshipers must worship him in spirit and in truth.
The indication to us as we gather in our worship is that truth is important. And when Jesus talks about worship, he says it must be emphatically done in spirit and in truth. Together, we’ve begun a series called Rethink Church. The idea within our minds as we started this together, as we opened up our new facility is for us to rethink Jesus and our identity in him. Who does the Bible really say Jesus is? That the world may portray him in a particular way? And knowing that Jesus has come and Jesus has displayed himself for us, and Jesus desires for us to know him as he truthfully has, has made himself known. Jesus then created the church and he told us in Matthew 1618, I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. Saying to us as believers, when your faith is in the proper Christ, the biblical understanding of who Jesus is, the fortress that is hell cannot withstand the forces that you bring against it. This morning. We talk about Rethink Church, we’ve rethought Jesus, we’ve rethought the purpose of the church. And now this morning, we rethink the beliefs that we carry in light of who Christ is. Because what you believe is as important as the sincerity of the belief that you carry. The Book of Jude is a valuable book for us as believers.
Especially if you like brevity. Interesting thing about Jude is that Jude is brother to Jesus. I got to tell you, if there’s anyone in this world that I would want to hear from in light of their relationship with Christ, it’s the one who would call Jesus his very brother, born from Mary. Now, before you even open to the pages of the book and someone just insert that thought within your mind as you run to that portion of Scripture, you’ve got to be thinking to yourself, man, what is it that Jude could share with us? There’s got to be just this infinite amount of information he could tell us about Jesus. Nope. Imagine what it would be like to be married to this guy. Yes and nos is all he said. And in 25 verses. Jujt shares with something to us. It’s very significant in light of your relationship with Christ. Can imagine, as Jude comes to this portion of scripture, he’s about to put pen to paper. The idea of what’s running through his mind is what Jesus has called the church to fulfill. He may be even thinking about the time in Matthew chapter 16 where where Jesus said, the gates of hell will not even prevail against you. That’s how powerful this church will be in me. And now Jesus having been gone for some time. Jude now reflects on the movement of the church throughout the world.
But how can we do what you’ve called us to do? But how could you gear us within our minds, our hearts, our souls, our beings, to focus on what is important in this world and live in light of what you called your church to be in this world. Jude begins to write. His letter. Bible tells us within the first couple of verses in verse three that his desire was to simply write in the common salvation in which they shared it says. Beloved, while I was making every effort to write to you about the common salvation, I felt necessary to write to you, appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all, handed down to the saints. Jude saying, you know, this, this portion of Scripture for me, what I desired was a celebration for us as a church in the salvation that Jesus brought and the hope that comes in that. But we’re digging deeper in that salvation. And what I’m saying to you as people this morning is I, I felt it necessary within my life worth considering what it is that the church has been called to in this world. There’s something important that the church should hold to and that is its beliefs. If you have nothing to stand on, you have nothing to share with this world. And so your beliefs are important because what you believe as as significant as the sincerity of your beliefs, because if your beliefs in their sincerity are wrong, it will lead you astray and run you dry.
It’s how you end in religion. Of a relationship in Christ. It’s how you experience bondage rather than freedom in Jesus. And Jude says to the believers that what we need to rethink, as we consider what God has called us to, is what we believe about who he is in our own lives. In Jude as he writes just these 25 verses, he opens up this passage of Scripture with a picture illustration within our mind as to the seriousness of the statements he’s about to possess within these passages of Scripture. It tells us at the end of verse three, Jude carrying these thoughts, he says, I write to you, appealing that you earnestly, that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all, handed down to the saints. What Jude is saying to the body of believers here. There’s two word expressions in which he carries in this thought in the opening verse. The first is the one appeal. Some translations would render it exhort. And the thought behind the word is a military commander giving instructions to his army and the duties through which they are to fulfill. Due to saying, I’m calling to you. In this responsibility, he refers to you as the beloved, the the loved in him and the the loved in the Lord.
Listen to this responsibility that you carry for as a church, because if you don’t stand on this, you have nothing to present to the world in order to minister it to it for Christ. What you stand on is important. Beloved. I exhort you in this way, or I appeal to you in this way. And he says this earnestly contend. I carry this thought within my own life. I don’t want to fight for something unless it’s worth fighting for. I only have so much emotional energy to exert and physical energy to exert in this world. And so it’s unless it’s something significant like the New England Patriots or, you know, just kidding or some other thing that’s important to life. I’m not going to exert my energy on it. And what Jude is saying to the believers here is this this is significant to your identity as a church, the beliefs through which you rest upon. I’m exhorting you and appealing to you in this that you earnestly contend. And the idea that Jude is sharing with us is that we struggle here. So there’s this identity within all of us to rebel against the Lord and to fight for beliefs in which we desire for our own life apart from God. And and this for you will be a struggle. All the things in life that are worth fighting for. Jude simplifies it for you and says, listen, I’m not going to say a lot.
Just one thing. Contend for this. Struggle for this. Everything in the world, everything about Satan’s kingdom, everything about sin and selfishness desires to rip from the identity of God and His glory in your life. And so this is important. Contend for this. While Jude identifies for us is what every culture must identify. And that is every culture in this world faces theological battles in every generation to exist. Did you know that much of your New Testament, I would almost say all of your New Testament was written on the back of correcting theological inaccuracies and the lives of believers. I mean, you open up your Bible and in the book of Romans, as you get to the first epistle, Paul is defining for us salvation, as people have contradicted the idea of what salvation is. Jude even records in this passage of Scripture. Give me a click in verse four. For certain persons have crept in unnoticed. Those who were longing beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only master and Lord Jesus Christ. The argument within Jude’s time is the exact opposite that we say today in regards to salvation. That’s what Jude is talking about here. During the life of Jude, people would look at what Jesus accomplished on the cross and they would say, man, Jesus certainly covered all of our sins.
And so, because Jesus paid for every sin I would ever conduct past, present, and future, I’m going to go into this world and live like hell and do whatever I want. Today. The the opposite thought rests within our mind. I wonder if Jesus is sufficient enough. I better work myself to earn his favor. Jude in this book is written this book on the back of theological error. First and second Corinthians, a hodgepodge of theological problems. Galatians denying the doctrine of salvation. Paul corrects it. Colossians about the deity of Christ. First and second Thessalonians the second coming of Christ, Timothy and Titus. How the church should work. Philemon. How relationships should operate. The book of Hebrews Jesus is sufficient. The book of James. When you claim that you believe and walk the walk, don’t just talk the talk. Your New Testament. Was formed on the back of people who walked into the church carrying theological errors. And Jude rests on his thigh. But what you believe is as important as the sincerity of your faith. Every culture can today contends with theology that contradicts what God has communicated to us. All cultures have bad theology and philosophy that ultimately leads nowhere, but temporarily will lead you somewhere. Listen to some of these thoughts that we share within our culture today that seem to contradict just theological ideas in which the Bible carries for us. The first is this whatever makes you happy, right? Or as long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters.
I heard that this week. I don’t know. You could hear that for the first time. Be thinking to yourself, man, God does not want me happy. I mean, you’re saying that contradicts scripture, but I thought God created the happiness. Why doesn’t he he want me to be happy? I got to say before I give you the information, God does want you to be happy, okay? He wants a smile on your face and joy in your heart. But when you say this, the pursuit of my life is whatever makes you happy. The God that you make of this world is happiness or pleasure. And so the the pursuit of your life is you create this hodgepodge of theological systems within your world that you tend to grab beliefs that whatever you want to believe at the time, that’s what you choose to believe. And so you grab hold of that because it makes you happy. And whatever you want to do at the time, you grab a hold of that because you think it makes you happy. And then after you live that lifestyle for a while, eventually you find out in the end, ultimately it still doesn’t satisfy. I mean the whole book of Ecclesiastes we went through together in past months. That is the backbone of the book. When you pursue pleasure in your life, Solomon says, it leads to emptiness.
In our world. God is not concerned primarily with your happiness. What God is concerned with is your holiness and your relationship in light of that to him. God knows. Rather than making happiness your goal. When you make your relationship with the Lord your goal, your soul is ultimately satisfied and joy may fill your heart. How do I know that? Bible tells us the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness. God’s desires that you seek him, and in seeking him, he satisfies your life with a joy that is unending in him. A joy that regardless of what happens in this world, you find peace in Christ. Whatever makes you happy is fine, as long as that’s rooted in Jesus. What about this one? As long as you’re a good person. It’s all that matters. Right. As long as you’re a good person, that’s all that matters. Uh, I read in Matthew chapter seven where people come before Jesus and they say, Lord, did we not cast out demons? And did we not do these wonderful works in your name? And Jesus says to them, depart from me, you workers of iniquity. I never knew you. Meaning if goodness was all that mattered, then Jesus didn’t know what he was talking about. Relationship with God is not about goodness. Your relationship with God grows as you walk in the light, as he is in the light, but your relationship with God is not merited.
It is not earned. It’s extended by his grace on the cross for you. Freely given that you may enjoy him. Or how about this for our culture today? To publicly talk about your beliefs is wrong. Or we say separation of church and state. You know I am all for. Learning to speak the truth and love. Matter of fact, I wish that’s what we said and said. A separation of church and state. You think about this. The most important thing of the identity of a human being rests in your belief in who you are, why you’re made, and where you’re going. I’m the big questions of life are theological questions, and so divorcing yourself from God separates you from the one who gives you the identity of living in this world. We’ll need to separate ourselves from it. We need to do is learn to communicate it in truth and love. Jude, coincidentally, as he shares with us the importance of your faith when he closes this book, he shares with the church how to discuss the truth of who God is with the people around him. Separation of church and state isn’t a biblical thought. God pervading in all things. All things are sacred. There is no separation from secular and sacred in the mind of God. It is all sacred. It all belongs to him, not just Sunday. Every day. This dude says this for us in verse 21.
He he answers the question, why contend? Why? Why contend for this faith? Why do we have to exert and why do we have to struggle? He says, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. The answer is simple. Not that God would love you more because you’re in the truth, but that you can experience the love that God already has for you. God can’t love you any more than he already does. God has given his life for you. God has created you in his image and imparted His Spirit into you, that you could commune for him with eternity and offered you a hope in heaven forever in his presence. God can’t love you any more than he already does. He’s already given everything he could possibly give to demonstrate that love towards you. What Jude is saying here. As the maintaining of our relationship in that love that God has extended to you. He who worships me must worship me in spirit and truth. Meaning if your heart’s desires to truly connect with the one who loves you so graciously, then walk in truth in light of who he is. Judy isn’t saying I’m writing these things to you to kill your joy. I’m writing these things to you that you may be alive in Christ. Earnestly contend for the faith.
There’s a story within Scripture about the life of a man named Jacob, and you can click for me here. Story goes like this. If you know the story of Jacob. Jacob means deceiver. But. Australian. Something in my neck. Hey, Jacob. Jacob means deceiver. His spirit is haunting me at this moment. The life of Jacob is recorded in Scripture is something that doesn’t present a pretty picture for us. If I were to get it a plain statement rather than deceiver, I would say Jacob is a liar. Story goes that Jacob had a brother, Esau. Esau had this birthright that Jacob wanted. Jacob and his mother go into cahoots together and decide that they’re going to deceive Jacob’s father, that Jacob could receive the birthright rather than Esau. And Jacob received that birth right after tricking his father, Esau became angry and desired to kill Jacob. Jacob flees from his land to a foreign land where he finds his wives. And then the story. And in the book of Genesis that we’re about to read together. Jacob is now going back to the land of his forefathers, to the nation of Israel, where they will prosper and grow in the future. Jacob has the birthright through which the nation of Israel will grow. And let me tell you, I know from a theological perspective why this story is in the Bible, simply to show us that God’s promises. Are being carried and fulfilled, fulfilled that God is faithful.
Yougod makes these promises of the coming Messiah through the nation of Israel. Jacob now has that birthright. The Lord is fulfilling it. He’s showing how this story continues in light of the redemption of man at the coming of Christ. That’s that’s the big picture of why the story is in the Bible. Let me give you the little picture of the story of Jacob himself. Tells us in Genesis 31 and verse 24 Is Jacob’s going back to the land. He’s about to cross the river into the Promised Land, and he sent his family on. He’s about to see his brother Esau for the first time. He’s concerned that he might be killed by Esau, because the last time he saw Esau he was running away for his life. It says. Then Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until daybreak. And when he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh. So the socket of Jacob’s thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him. You can think how painful this is. Then he said, let me go, for the dawn is breaking. But he said, I will not let you go unless you bless me. So he said to him, what is your name? And he said, Jacob, go ahead and click for me. And he said, your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel. For you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.
Then Jacob asked him, and he said, please tell me your name. But he said, why is it that you asked my name? And he blessed him there. So Jacob named the place Peniel, for he said, I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved. Many people believe this is a pre-incarnate. Meeting of Christ in this world, which makes the story so much more important in what it communicates to us about God’s promise through Jesus, as he seeks to redeem the world that he meets Jacob. As Jacob is getting ready to go into this promised land, to say the birthright is being fulfilled in you. But the little story that’s behind the bigger story. The scene in Jacob’s attitude. Jacob’s story communicates this to us. When life gets hard. When your back’s against the wall. Jude comes in and he exhorts you. To earnestly struggle. And to earnestly contend. To see the truth of who God is. And then the story of Jacob. Jesus has come before Jacob as he’s going into his promised land. And for the first time in his life. Jacob has owned his faith. When you read the stories about Jacob’s life, and all you see is his struggle with man and God blessing his life, but you see little of his relationship with the Lord. And now when Jacob is looking at the Promised Land that God has offered to his lineage, Jacob is owning his faith.
And the thought that comes within our mind as we read the story of the Lord and the story of the struggle that Jacob is having before the Lord, is that as you struggle in your relationship with God, don’t stop until the Lord has blessed you. When you see the name Israel. God changed his name from Jacob to Israel to literally mean Jacob is struggling with God. Jacob is owning his faith and Jacob is fighting for his relationship with the Lord. Well. Jude carries the thought of the story of Jacob into his verses when he says to us, as people don’t leave the love of God in your life, contend for this faith. Give me another click for just a moment. As you get to verse 12 and verse 13 of the book of Jude, Jude describes what it looks like for those who are fine in their pursuit of just some hodgepodge of theology that makes you feel good apart from the Lord. And he says this. These are the men who are hidden reefs and your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves, clouds without water carried along by the winds, autumn trees without fruit doubly dead, uprooted wild waves of the sea cast upon their own shame like foam wandering stars from whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.
You get a good picture of all of these things, of what Jacob or Judas sang to us as where bad theology leads our relationship with God. It’s this emptiness and all who pursue it walk away with this emptiness in our lives and and even to the point where he says, you’re these wandering stars. You ever wonder what the wandering stars are? You are familiar with your GPS. You don’t leave home without it now, right? It is your staple for anywhere you go that you don’t know where it is, right where that is. Grove in the time of Jude. If you wanted your GPS, your GPS rested in the stars. If you wanted to know the direction that you were to take, the way that you followed that direction was to follow that star. And if your star was wandering, you were going to be far from home. When Judas sang for us. Why are we contending for what we’re contending? We’re contending for these things because it leads us astray. And when Jude writes in verse three, he says, I earnestly contend that you are a pill for you, that you, you stand for the faith. The faith in Scripture. The word faith can be defined a few different ways depending on what Greek text you’re reading. And the word faith in this passage of Scripture doesn’t mean your faith in what you believe. It literally means the faith of what you’ve been taught.
And so, as Jude describes the people to contend, here’s what you contend for. You contend for the faith through which Scripture has proclaimed for you in your life. It’s the faith that we rest upon. Cut and click math. If you were to leave this morning. As a church family, we understand the significance of what it means to contend for the faith. If you come to Alpine Bible Church and you visit for the first time, you get one of two things as a guest. Well, you get a Bible for sure, but the second thing you get is a book, and one of those two books will either be how good is good enough? Or more than a carpenter. Those two books answer one question apiece how good is good enough? Is the idea of salvation in Christ the hope of eternity in him? What is salvation? And it’s a stand upon that so we can see it. The second is is more than a carpenter. It’s the identity of who Jesus is as a stand in who Christ is for us as Scripture has communicated it to us. It’s a defense of the faith. Spear to go on our information table today and grab a book. If you’re wondering when I say you defend the faith, what exactly is the faith? Well, there is a a pillar that the early church has stood for these doctrines in which they have written.
When you read in the Bible, the Bible is written on the back of theological error, correcting the erroneous thoughts that the church carry, that we may see the purity of who Christ is. And once the apostles died, the church didn’t stop writing these letters. The early church leaders continued to pen to surrounding churches what it means to hold the faith. At the point of persecution. Bible tells us that they gave life or not the Bible. Well, the Bible does tell us, but history even tells us that after Jesus they gave life and limb for Christ. The point of the beginning of the fourth century, when Constantine came along and he put his faith in Jesus and he legalized Christianity. And for the first time, Christians behind prison bars are set free shortly after they gathered at the Council of Nicaea. They began to gather at councils, dictating to us the faith in which we believe. A faith that has not been lost. A faith for which we stand. Council of Nicaea has to be one of my favorite. Because that council existed shortly after Christianity was legalized. It was the first time the church had the opportunity to gather together as leadership in and not worrying about, fear of persecution and fear of death. But the the real story behind that story for me are the individuals that gathered together. Hundreds of church leaders gathered together to articulate against the theological error that was growing up within the time.
And history tells us out of the hundreds of church leaders that gathered together at the Council of Nicaea. All but 12. Had given. Lim suffered persecution and been behind prison bars to stand for this faith. And here they walk into this meeting. Staring at an emperor who holds life and death over them. But having already declared that they are not afraid, they stand for the faith. What sort of things did the faith of the faith that they define? If you were to go to our information table, there’s a green book called grow, and it defines the major doctrines of the faith, things like this. Who is God? Who is Jesus? Who is the Holy Spirit? What is the Trinity? What is the Bible? How can we trust it? What is salvation? What is eternity in heaven and hell? People. Today it’s popular to not believe in hell, but Jesus taught about hell twice as much as he taught about heaven. What is the church? These doctrines. Or what the church rests upon. These truths are significant. The identity of the church in light of who Christ is, it is the pillar. To which we rest. Bible. According to Jude chapter three or verse three, go ahead and give me a click real quick. So is this. Beloved. While I was making every effort to write to you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you, appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all, handed down to the saints.
This truth in which Jesus has given us will not end. Bible tells us it was once for all entrusted to the saints. Jesus gave this promise we saw last week. The gates of hell will not prevail against the church, meaning the church will forever stand on these truths. We’re to break it simply down this morning. I would say the the very identity of who we are as a church rests on two pinnacle points. Who is Jesus and is the Bible trustworthy? I say. Usually I get to a place like this when I read the book of Jude and I, I want to create a sermon that says, we can defend the Bible and we can trust in it, and then give us ten reasons as to why the Bible is trustworthy today. And it’s been translated correctly throughout history. But this is all I want to say this morning. The Bible. In comparison to all other religions religious works in the world. There is no literary literary work in all of religious history that can even begin to hold a candle to the authenticity and the integrity with which Scripture possesses for us. Nothing compares, nothing compares to the literal integrity of the Bible. Meaning when you study history. We today have 25,000 manuscripts of the New Testament dating within the first couple of centuries after the last apostle wrote the final book of the New Testament.
In the Old Testament, you have manuscripts hundreds of years older than Jesus, literally the Bible. Jesus would have walked with repossessed manuscripts that old. Nothing compares with it. Let me show you this this morning. I’ve always had. I’ve had a dream. I have a dream since. Since I have conceived of or thought of. You know, the possibility of of having a church here in Lehigh one day. I always dreamed of. Of buying. Archaeology that validates Scripture. Somebody you can go back in history and just say, you know, the Bible talks about this and here it is. Right? And I had another one, but I dropped it somewhere. But on eBay this week I was sitting in my office. First, first week in here and the first thing I did, I jump on eBay and I just look for biblical archaeology. The first things I bought were bought a manuscript of the Bible from 1599 about coins from scripture that anyone can buy on eBay, and you can get a letter of authenticity. Uh, somewhere up here is an arrowhead. Be careful. I don’t know where that went, but I bought a Roman arrowhead dating back from the time of Jesus. Things you find communicated with in Scripture. There’s such a plentiful fine of archaeological facts that that that validates the Bible that you can get on eBay of all places and buy them and hang them on your wall.
Isn’t that cool? In comparison to or in addition to the Bible, I would also say the same thing for Christ. There’s nothing in this world I can compare it to the personal integrity of Christ. There is no religious teacher in all of religious history that compares to Jesus, because none of them were crazy enough to say I am God and then validate it in this world. We rest on Jesus in the Bible. And so the thought for us as we end this morning. When I hear the word contend, I’m like, I’ve got this scrapper mentality within me. I don’t know what football season or I don’t know what it is. But when contend, I think of the word contend, I’m ready to box, right? And Jud ends this portion of Scripture, and he shares with us what it looks like in your life to contend. What does it mean to stand in the faith that Christ has called you to, that you may truthfully know him because the the belief that you can carry is as is important as the sincerity that you hold towards him. This is what Jude says. Verse 20. But you, beloved. Building yourself up on your most holy faith. Praying in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.
When Jude talks about contending, he defines it two ways for us at the end of the Bible, the first or the end of this passage. And the first is that you contend upwardly. God has given you multiple ways to connect with him relationally in your spirit. God has given you a church family to exhort you and to encourage you, that we could demonstrate his love for you in tangible ways and give you the opportunity to demonstrate that love back. But the two that Jude points out here in this passage of Scripture. Deal with the Word of God. And the prayer. And the idea that Jude carries to stand for the faith. Is that if you truly believe in the Lord, that you would become a student of the word. Or we encourage you this morning, is to be a student of the word. When you get to theological parts of your relationship with God, and it feels like a struggle, the the idea is to think like Jacob and wrestle with God. Seek his face until the Lord blesses you in it. Judas saying for you to contend for you to to grow strong, for you to be the church that God has called you to be. Contend first, upwardly strengthen yourself and your relationship with God. Become a student of His Word. And if you’re doing it for the first time, I got to tell you, the hardest place to start is Genesis.
Don’t do that. I mean, if you want to read through the Bible and you’re and you’re gung ho, then we support you. You’re the best place to start. Just open up a new test. Turn to the Book of John. We’ll pick a New Testament epistle that’s short and sweet. Just start reading a chapter at a time, a day at a time. Give the Lord the opportunity to pour within you His spirit. May you be filled in that spirit. And Jude goes on to say this, that you be a person of prayer. If you’re interested in being a contender for the Lord, you will be a prayer warrior to the Lord. And if you’re the type of person that gets angry about the way things are going and you think about prayer last, how about begin by praying for the things that irritate you before you do anything about it? That’s not the only way you can pray, but just pray. Seek his face content by building yourself upward in the Lord. And Jude goes on in verse 22 and 23. And have mercy on some who are doubting, save others, snatching them out of the fire and on. Some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh. And what Jude is saying here. Is. Don’t be obnoxious. Don’t be a Bible basher. Don’t be a self-righteous Christian hater in this world.
We speak the truth. We speak it in love. And what Judas is saying here is he’s describing three individual people through which they can communicate God’s truth to, and in all cases carry mercy in that because you understand in your own life how much you need mercy. Somewhere to ask me. Um. How much heresy will God accept before he gets angry and he does something about it? How much? How much heresy will God put up with? And I got to say, no one knows God perfectly. So my hope is, is that it’s a lot. But my hope also is. Is that if I’m wrong. For that I air. That I may come to know the truth. That I may see him as he has truthfully revealed himself. Don’t ever comes to you and says, I know God perfectly. Just turn around and walk right out. The judge says this. There are three types of people through which we think about reaching. Have mercy on some who are doubting, meaning people that are just searching who you don’t really know but you want to know. The Lord have mercy on that as the way that the Lord has had mercy on you and has communicated his truth to you. Have mercy on them. And he goes in verse 23, save others, snatching them out of the fire. There are people who who have heard the lies of contrary to what God would desire for them to know, and they’re believing that, and it’s robbing them.
And God calls you to reach out to them in a merciful way and love them in Christ. As Jude says in verse 21, as he desires for you to experience the love of the Lord in your life. And he ends it with these and the false teachers. Even the ones who proudly proclaim contrary to God. God’s heart is that they may know him. And so Jude says, share with them in mercy as well. But he also says it this way and in fear. Knowing that you’re not above being fooled in your own life. You’re not above believing some lie against God. And so when you go before this individual to share the mercy of God and the truth of the Lord and their lives, go humbly and fear before the Lord. Pray for. Seek out God’s truth. Contend upwardly so that you may contend outwardly. Curiosity has me wonder this. As Jude writes this book. And he concludes in these final thoughts to us as believers, I wonder what it would be like if Jude were the person going against this individual that’s speaking contrary to God, to the church. What would you say? You know, when I contend for the faith. Let him see a lot in the past has been. To argue with someone to convince them of the truth.
Not necessarily start an argument, but to apologetically just to articulate these important steps that you need to know in order to have the truth, because you don’t have it. They’re going to think when Jude starts talking about mercy in this passage of Scripture, he also begins to contend more than just on an intellectual basis. He begins to deal with the heart. Reality is. Most of us don’t need intellectually convinced. And we’re all. Sometimes we know we’re wrong. We’re just too proud to admit it. And when we know that we’re wrong or there’s something wrong with what I’m holding to, that’s contradicting God and I can’t figure it out. If you come to me and you’re arguing with me and you’re just sharing these steps with me, I just built up a wall in defense. Not going to think is Jude when he talks about mercy here and walking in fear and sharing with an individual that he’s not just talking about an intellectual basis, he’s also talking about dealing with matters of the heart. Romans one says this though we see the beauty of who God is, we deny it and worship and serve the creature rather than creator. We exchange the truth of God for a lie. In the evidence of God is there. It’s the heart that’s broken. So you get a wonderful platform as a believer in Christ. To go into this world, not to beat people up.
It speaks of hearts. You say this? You have seen. You living this life that has left you empty. Your pursuits of happiness that lead you after a ghost that will run dry. But there is Jesus. And he has made himself known, and he desires for you to know him and to experience him, and to be with him for eternity. And when he calls you to him, he starts with your heart. Bible tells us that the heart is deceitful, but Jesus desires to make things new in your relationship with him, and so he’s called you as your king. He has given his life for your sin. He has paid your debt and your rebellion that you’ve brought against his kingdom, and he’s asking you to trust in him. You don’t have to know everything. It starts with him. Your heart’s turned over to him. And so as you contend for faith in this world. The idea that you carry. Is that you’d be a person of mercy. Person of mercy, knowing the mercy that the Lord has brought you in this world. A person who contends upwardly, to grow in your relationship with God that you may extend outwardly for the for the Lord in this world, and demonstrate his mercy for this world and his behalf that they may know him to. What you believe. This is important as the sincerity. Of your faith. May you be like Israel and struggle with God.